House Prices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average house price was (a) in each local billing authority in England and (b) in England, in each year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates of median house prices at local authority level are only available back to 1996 and are based on Land Registry data. The figures for 1996 to 2004 are available from the Housing Statistics section on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's (ODPM) internet site.
	These data are published on the ODPM website at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm hous ing/documents/page/odpm house 609382.xls

Police Vehicles

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents involving police (a) pursuit and (b) patrol cars and drivers and members of the public resulting in serious injuries or death there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 24 May 2005
	Accidents involving pursuit and patrol vehicles are not recorded separately. Figures for road traffic collisions are currently available from 2002–03.
	The available information for the numbers of casualties and degree of injury from road traffic collisions resulting from immediate/emergency response and police pursuits on public roads involving all police forces in England and Wales is provided in the table.

Developing Nations (Aid)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms are in place to ensure co-ordination between countries which give aid to developing nations; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Donor co-ordination takes place at a number of levels: internationally, regionally and within partner countries. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is the main international forum for bilateral donors to discuss co-operation and increased effectiveness of development assistance. As well as annual high-level meetings for heads and deputy heads of development agencies, there are a number of working parties and groups dealing with specific subject areas.
	The Paris High Level Forum in March this year brought together Ministers, heads of aid agencies and other senior officials from 60 partner countries, bilateral donors and the main multilateral institutions, to agree ways of making aid more effective. The Paris Declaration is the best statement yet of internationally agreed best practice on aid effectiveness with around 50 commitments, plus indicators and targets, to improve country ownership and donor harmonisation and alignment.
	The EU also provides a mechanism to increase coordination and harmonisation among member states. Last year the EU agreed an Action Plan on Harmonisation which included measures to improve co-ordination of EU development assistance at country level. The World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring and annual meetings also provide an opportunity for donors to coordinate policy on aid and development.
	There are also co-ordination mechanisms at regional level. For example the Strategic Partnership for Africa seeks to support poverty reduction in Africa by increasing the quality and quantity of aid.
	At country level World Bank led Consultative Groups review overall progress on poverty reduction and donor commitments to help governments achieve their poverty reduction objectives. The development of Poverty Reduction Strategy papers or similar national development strategies provides an opportunity for developing countries to coordinate donor support. In some countries partner governments lead donor co-ordination processes aimed at improving the overall coherence of donor support (for example, the Government of Tanzania are leading a joint assistance strategy). In some countries, donors have begun to undertake joint strategic planning. For example, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and DFID are developing a joint plan in Cambodia. There are also sector co-ordination processes in many countries particularly in health and education where many donors are present.
	DFID is working hard to improve the effectiveness of co-ordination and to increase developing country voice at all these levels. A principal concern is that there is no international forum in which total aid allocations to each country are reviewed. We believe that this results in some countries consistently receiving less than their fair share of aid.

Cinemas (Digital Subtitling)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps the Government are taking to support digital subtitling in cinemas.

James Purnell: The UK Film Council, the Government's strategic agency for film, set up the Cinema Access Programme in September 2003 to improve disabled peoples' experiences of cinema. Through the programme, funding of £500,000 has been allocated to equip 78 cinemas with subtitling and audio description equipment (£350,000); develop a web-based information service to raise awareness of subtitled and audio-described screenings (£50,000); assist UK distributors with producing subtitled and audio-described film prints (£60,000); and conduct research into the ongoing needs of disabled audiences, both technically and in terms of awareness of available films and cinemas (£40,000). The programme has so far been rolled out only across England, as the funding is an initial allocation from Arts Council England. However, the UK Film Council is working with Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, Scottish Screen and Sgr-n Cymru Wales to set up similar schemes.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (a) dated 11 April regarding the MG Rover Dealership Network and (b) dated 21 February on hydrogen technology.

Ian Pearson: The hon. Member's letter of 11 April to my right hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, West on the MG Rover Dealership Network now falls within my remit as Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs and I will reply to it very shortly. My right hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire, former DTI Minister for Energy and e-Commerce, replied on 11 March to the letter of 21 February on Hydrogen Technology. I have asked for a copy to be sent to the hon. Member.

Northern Ireland Prison Service

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will break down the complement of the Northern Ireland Prison Service in each of the last five years by (a) community background and (b) gender.

Shaun Woodward: The breakdown of the complement of the Northern Ireland Prison Service grades for the last five years is detailed as follows. There has been little change in the composition—only 130 prison service grade staff have been recruited in this period.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Male Female Protestant Roman Catholic Non determined 
		
		
			 Prison service grades 
			 2001 83.95 16.1 79.2 8.4 12.4 
			 2002 83.9 16.1 79.2 8.6 12.2 
			 2003 83.7 16.3 80.1 8.3 11.6 
			 2004 83.8 16.2 80.2 8.2 11.6 
			 2005 83.2 16.8 80.2 8.7 11.1 
			   
			 General service grades   
			 2001 39.9 60.1 74.8 21.8 3.4 
			 2002 39.1 60.9 74.1 21.8 4.1 
			 2003 36.7 63.3 75.1 22.8 2.1 
			 2004 34.5 65.5 76.9 21.2 1.9 
			 2005 33.0 67.0 75.9 22.5 1.6

British Interests

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what definition he uses of the term British interests worldwide.

Jack Straw: British interests worldwide can be described as the promotion of a secure and prosperous United Kingdom in a safe, just and prosperous world. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is guided in its work to promote and protect these interests by the command paper UK International Priorities: A Strategy for the FCO published in December 2003. This sets out the UK's international priorities and objectives and the role of the FCO in achieving them. Further information on the Strategy can be found on the FCO website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet7Front?pagenam=OpenMarke t/Xcelerate/PreviewPage&AssetType=Page&ResolvePa geId=FCO OBJ StrategyMain.

National Insurance Contributions

Peter Lilley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change the rate of national insurance contributions.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on the Floor of the House earlier today to the hon. Members for Congleton (Ann Winterton) and Bury St. Edmunds (Mr. Ruffley).

Autism

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the percentage of people suffering from autism who are in employment; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Laurence Robertson, dated 26 May 2005
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the percentage of people suffering from autism who are in employment in the UK. I am replying in his absence. (676)
	The attached table shows the information available relating to the health problems which were quoted by respondents to the Labour Force Survey, who were in employment, as affecting the work they do. The condition of autism is not specifically identified in the available data.
	This estimate from the Labour Force Survey is, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	
		Persons of working age(3) in employment with long-term health problems affecting the work they do: United Kingdom Three months ending February 2005
		
			 Not seasonally adjusted 
			  Million Percentage(4) 
		
		
			 Total of working age 36.4 100.0 
			
			 Condition quoted by LFS respondents:   
			 All conditions — 15.6 
			 Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with arms or hands — 0.8 
			 Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with legs or feet — 1.5 
			 Problems or disabilities (including arthritis or rheumatism) connected with back or neck — 2.2 
			 Difficulty in seeing (while wearing spectacles or contact lenses) — 0.2 
			 Difficulty in hearing — 0.4 
			 A speech impediment — 0.0 
			 Severe disfigurement, skin conditions, allergies — 0.5 
			 Chest or breathing problems, asthma, bronchitis — 2.8 
			 Heart, blood pressure blood circulation problems — 2.5 
			 Stomach, liver, kidney or digestive problems — 1.0 
			 Diabetes — 1.1 
			 Depression, bad nerves or anxiety — 0.4 
			 Epilepsy — 0.3 
			 Severe or specific learning difficulties (mental handicap) — 0.2 
			 Mental illness or suffer from phobia, panics or other nervous disorders — 0.1 
			 Progressive illness not included elsewhere (e.g. cancer, multiple sclerosis, symptomatic HIV, Parkinson's disease, muscular dystrophy) — 0.4 
			 Other health problems or disabilities — 1.4 
		
	
	(3) Men aged 16–64 and women aged 16–59.
	(4) Persons in employment with long-term health problems (12 months or more) as a percentage of total population of working age.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (a) dated 29 March regarding Inland Revenue penalties and (b) dated 5 April regarding small business tax burden.

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.

Migration

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of likely net migration in each of the next 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: The most recent estimates come from the Government Actuary's latest (2003-based) national population projections. The information requested is available from the GAD website at: http://www. gad.gov.uk/Population/2003/methodology/migrass.htm

Pensions (Tax Relief)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the cost of tax relief on pensions in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by each area of relief; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Latest estimates of the annual cost of tax relief on private pensions are available on Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/pensions/table7 9 september04. pdf
	These estimates take account of the relief given on contributions to personal, stakeholder and occupational pensions and the investment income of funds, net of tax on existing private pensions in payment.

Stamp Duty

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been raised from stamp duty on (a) residential properties and (b) commercial properties in each year since 1997.

Ivan Lewis: Estimates of stamp duty revenues raised in the UK in 1997–98 for residential and commercial transaction types are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 (a) Residential 830 
			 (b) Commercial 665 
		
	
	Estimates for available years from 1998–99 are given at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp duty/table15 3 october04.pdf

Tax Credit Overpayments

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Paymaster General will reply to the letter of 10 March 2005 from the hon. Member for Birmingham Selly Oak on overpayments of tax credits to constituents.

Dawn Primarolo: I have done so.

City Academies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment the Government have made of the performance of the city academies.

Jacqui Smith: Academies are replacing some of the poorest schools in the country, in the most disadvantaged areas. While it is still very early days in the development of the programme, Academies are already achieving success in raising educational standards, improving behaviour and attendance and in attracting applications.
	Academies' most recent GCSE figures show improvements on average in the number of children gaining five or more good GCSEs: in 2003, their first year, the average 5+ A*-C GCSE results in the three open Academies was 24 per cent., compared to an average of 16 per cent. in their predecessor schools in 2002. The rate of improvement in Academies' Key Stage 3 results is outstripping the national average: for the 11 Academies reporting results in 2004—compared to those of their predecessor schools in 2001—KS3 English and maths results on average improved by nine percentage points (from 34 per cent. to 43 per cent., and 38 per cent. to 47 per cent.) compared to a six and seven percentage points increase nationally (from 65 per cent. to 71 per cent., and 66 per cent. to 73 per cent.).
	We have also commissioned PriceWaterhouse Coopers to carry out an independent five-year longitudinal evaluation of the Academies programme. The study will be looking at the impact of Academies on children from disadvantaged areas and their families, and communities, and the extent to which Academies raise educational standards and aspirations. The first Annual Report in 2003 looked only at the three then open Academies. We will be publishing the second Annual Report soon.

Education (Hammersmith and Fulham)

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to improve educational standards in Hammersmith and Fulham, with particular reference to schools under special measures.

Jacqui Smith: There are no primary schools, and two secondary schools, in special measures in Hammersmith and Fulham.
	Advisers in my Department have developed a close working relationship with the Hammersmith and Fulham local authority. We are working together to raise attainment, raise attendance and levels of participation in learning, raise levels of literacy, strengthen behaviour support, improve recruitment and retention and tackle under-performance throughout the secondary sector.
	Eight secondary schools in Hammersmith and Fulham receive a Leadership Incentive Grant (LIG) of £135,000 per school in 2005–06. This three-year grant, which began in April 2003, is designed to raise standards, strengthen leadership at all levels and stimulate collaboration to improve standards of teaching and learning across groups of schools. The authority also receives £40,000 per year as a School Improvement Adviser grant, which is designed to increase school improvement capacity within local authorities.
	In addition, schools in Hammersmith and Fulham receive support from the London Challenge, focused, for example, on targeting year 11 pupils taking their GCSEs, and on supporting leadership at all levels. In each case, a London Challenge adviser works with the headteacher and local authority, through a School Improvement Partnership Board, to coordinate support for the school's improvement strategy.

Illiteracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students left secondary school without being able to read and write between 1997 and 2004.

Jacqui Smith: Data is not recorded in the way the question asks, but the percentage of 15-year-old pupils in all schools achieving A*-G in GCSE English has improved from 88.5 per cent. in 1996–97 to 91 per cent. in 2003–04. However we should not draw the conclusion that those who do not achieve a GCSE grade in English are not able to read and write. The figures are set out in the following table.
	
		Time Series—GCSE achievements of 15-year-old pupils in all schools 1997–2004
		
			  Number of 15-year-old pupils(13) Percentage achieving A*-G in GCSE English 
		
		
			 2003–04 643,574 91.0 
			 2002–03 622,122 91.5 
			 2001–02 606,554 91.0 
			 2000–01 603,318 91.0 
			 1999–2000 580,393 91.9 
			 1998–99 580,972 91.4 
			 1997–98 575,210 89.5 
			 1996–97 586,766 88.5 
		
	
	(13) As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.

Congestion Charge

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London regarding implications of the proposed westwards extension of the congestion charge for patients travelling from outside the zone's border to the Chelsea and Westminster hospital for treatment;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with the Mayor of London.

Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State has had no recent discussion with the Mayor of London. However, Professor Sue Atkinson, regional director of public health (London), is the Department's health advisor to the Mayor and the Greater London Authority. Professor Atkinson meets regularly with the Mayor and his advisers and has raised the proposed congestion charge zone extension with the Mayor at these meetings.
	I understand the public consultation on the extension of the scheme is underway and closes on 15 July 2005.
	A leaflet about public consultation on the extension is available at: www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/cc-ex/pdfs/wez Leaflet.pdf

General Practitioners

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) single-handed GP practices and (b) two-partner GP practices there are in Chiltern and South Bucks Primary Care Trust area at the latest date for which statistics are available; and what percentage these practices represent of the total number of GP practices in the primary care trust area.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of practices by partnership size(18) for Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire Primary Care Trust—England as at 30 September 2004
		
			  5G4 Chiltern and South Bucks. Primary Care Trust 
		
		
			 Number (headcount)  
			 Total 23 
			 Of which:  
			 Single-handed 4 
			 Two-handed 3 
			   
			 Percentage  
			 Single-handed 17 
			 Two-handed 13 
		
	
	(18) Figures shown refer to general medical practitioners (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers).
	Source:
	National Health Service Health and Social Care Information Centre general and personal medical services statistics.

Hospital Beds/Food

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the incidence of hospital-induced malnutrition in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: This data is not collected centrally. A number of strategies are in place to manage, monitor and screen patients for under-nutrition in hospitals, residential care and the wider community. Nutritional screening is recommended for the care of specific groups, as part of locally determined services.

Hospital Beds/Food

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the better hospital food programme.

Jane Kennedy: An assessment of the better hospital food (BHF) programme has been conducted by analysis of the results of patient environment action team (PEAT) visits, delivery against the BHF objectives and by national patient surveys.
	All have shown improvement since the programme began. Figures are shown in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Progress in terms of PEAT since 2001
		
			  (a) PEAT results 2002–03 
			  2002 2003 
		
		
			 Red (poor)   
			 Number 14 0 
			 Percentage 2 0 
			 Amber (acceptable)   
			 Number 554 479 
			 Percentage 81 56.3 
			
			 Green (good)   
			 Number 118 372 
			 Percentage 17 43.7 
		
	
	
		(b) PEAT results 2004
		
			  2004 
		
		
			 Excellent  
			 Number 92 
			 Percentage 8 
			   
			 Good  
			 Number 574 
			 Percentage 50 
			   
			 Acceptable  
			 Number 402 
			 Percentage 35 
			   
			 Poor  
			 Number 67 
			 Percentage 6 
			   
			 Unacceptable  
			 Number 7 
			 Percentage 1 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Progress against the 2001 BHF objectives
		
			  As at June: 
			  2002 2003 2004 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Ward kitchen services 256 72 320 89 332 89 
			 Snack box service 210 59 254 71 295 79 
			 Additional snacks 183 51 233 65 314 84 
			 Main meal evening 280 78 327 92 349 94 
			 Leading chef dishes 142 40 214 60 314 84 
		
	
	
		Table 3: The national patient survey percentages
		
			  2001–02 (quarter 18) 2003–04 (quarter 15) 
		
		
			 Base: All valid  responses (89,304) (83,248) 
			 Very good 18 18 
			 Good 35 36 
			 Fair 31 31 
			 Poor 16 15 
			 I did not have any  hospital food Not applicable Not applicable

Hospital Beds/Food

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the total expenditure on (a) food and (b) catering services in the NHS in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: This data is not collected in the exact form requested. The cost of provisions for patients and the total cost of catering from 2000–04 is shown in the table. Information was not collected prior to 2000.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  Cost of provisions for patients(19) Total cost of catering(20) 
		
		
			 2000–01 108 405 
			 2001–02 149 483 
			 2002–03 162 553 
			 2003–04 172 563 
		
	
	(19) The cost of provisions for patients includes foods, beverages, special diets and ward provisions such as bread, milk and coffee. It excludes parental and enteral feeding, baby milk and nutritional supplements.
	(20) The total cost of catering includes pay, employer's national insurance and pension contributions for the manager responsible for catering services and all designated staff/deputies including administrative and clerical grades, but excludes the costs of ward housekeepers, it also includes the cost of provisions for patients and staff.

Intensive Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds there were in the NHS in each year since 1997; and what proportion of all available beds this represented in each year.

Liam Byrne: The Department has published data on intensive care provision on a six-monthly basis since March 1999. The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of open and staffed adult intensive care beds on the census day
		
			 Census date Intensive care beds Proportion as a percentage of all available beds 
		
		
			 31 March 1999 1,520 0.8 
			 30 September 1999 1,501 0.8 
			 15 January 2000 1,555 0.8 
			 14 July 2000 1,496 0.8 
			 15 January 2001 1,677 0.9 
			 16 July 2001 1,670 0.9 
			 15 January 2002 1,711 0.9 
			 16 July 2002 1,718 0.9 
			 15 January 2003 1,746 0.9 
			 16 July 2003 1,731 0.9 
			 15 January 2004 1,769 1.0 
			 15 July 2004 1,746 (21)— 
			 13 January 2005 1,787 (21)— 
		
	
	(21) Data not yet available.
	Notes:
	1. Data on all available beds data (KH03) is collected annually.
	2. Data on all available beds data for July 2004 and January 2005 is not yet available.
	3. Day only beds have been excluded.
	Source:
	Department of Health forms KH03a, KH03

Mobile Phones

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Government have (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects of mobile phones on people in rural areas; and what plans the Government have to issue guidance on those effects.

Caroline Flint: The LINK mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme, funded jointly by Government and industry, is providing support for about 30 individual studies into potential health effects of mobile phone technology. Although none of these is specifically comparing rural and urban use, the population studies under this programme are designed to find out if there is an association between mobile phone use and ill health. The MTHR research is described on its website at www.mthr.org.uk.
	Evaluation of world-wide research on possible health effects of mobile phone use is undertaken in this country by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) and its independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR). The substantial review by AGNIR in 2003, entitled, "Health Effects from Radiofrequency Fields (RF)", concluded that:
	"The weight of evidence now available does not suggest that there are adverse health effects from exposures to RF fields below guideline levels, but the published research on RF exposures and health have limitations, and mobile phones have only been in widespread use for a relatively short time".
	The HPA keeps the health effects under continual review. The information is available on its website at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/.
	The Department's advice remains as stated in the "Mobile phones and Health" leaflets: people can choose to minimise their exposure if they wish, but for children in particular, the advice is to limit mobile phones use for essential purposes only and keep calls short.

MRSA

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of MRSA there were in each hospital in the UK in the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Information on the number of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections is not available by hospital as requested. However, mandatory surveillance began in April 2001 and results are published by individual trust This information is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/Publi cationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en?CONTEN T 10=4085951&chk=HBt2QD.
	The national totals are shown in the table.
	
		Reports under the mandatory MRSA bacteraemia surveillance system (acute national health service trusts, England)
		
			  MRSA 
		
		
			 April to March  
			 2001–02 7,249 
			 2002–03 7,373 
			 2003–04 7,684 
			 April 2004-September 2004 3,519 
		
	
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency.